I have had a lot of fun so far being in Gazipașa. It has been really exciting meeting new people, trying new food, and going to unfamiliar places. I have yet to try Turkish coffee because I am afraid of the grounds settling in the bottom of the cup. One goal I have for this following week is to work up the courage to try Turkish coffee. The cultural aspect of being in Turkey has been a lot of fun to experience, as has digging on the site. Digging on the Acropolis is the hardest work that I have ever done and is the hardest work that I will ever do in my entire life. My body is sore and bruised and I did not know that it is physically possible to sweat as much as I have. However, it is so exciting when you find an ancient shard of pottery (which is all I have found so far). I will also die on the hill that it is a pottery shard and not a pottery sherd. Doing extreme physical labor in extreme heat and somehow enjoying yourself feels the same way that a runners high does. I almost feel as though I shouldn’t be enjoying it, but seeing the progress that has been made on both of the units that I have worked on is really rewarding.
Some things I miss about being back home in Minnesota is driving. I think I would crash if I tried to drive here. I would also commit a crime for a diet Mountain Dew. My only other complaint is that I would love to not have to wait for the washing machine and I would love to have a drier. This is the first time that I have been outside of the country, besides going Canada but that is a five minute drive my house. I would defiantly come back to Turkey, as is beautiful and so affordable. However, I feel like coming to Turkey for something other than an archaeological dig would just feel incorrect at this point. If I am not licking rocks to find out if they are pottery and sweating so much that I do not have to pee all day long, it just wouldn’t feel right. I find it really interesting that everyone at the dig site complains so much about pottery washing. I actually really enjoying pottery washing. Pottery washing allows for some really interesting conversations to occur and I have gotten to know people a lot better by bonding at pottery washing. I did cut my finger the last time we all had to wash pottery, but we also made a TikTok when we were all done so that was fun! My back also hurt really bad due to hunching over the pottery washing bin, but I got people to walk on my back and then I felt a lot better. Overall, I have had a lot of fun my first week here, both on and off the site and I am really excited for the week to come.